8 replies to this topic

[dspdrew]

Bigb suggested something that I thought sounded like a real efficient way of feeding a large amount of ant colonies; use some sort of liquid food in a syringe to stick right through the cotton and squirt a small amount onto a piece of foil. This would also solve the problem of escaping ants when a colony starts getting a little big for the test tube.

 

I started trying out some different types of food, which raised the question: Would it be better to make one solution that contains sugar and protein, or would it be better to have two separate solutions, one sugary, and the other with protein? I know Tarheel Ants sells ant food, and also allows you to mix to whatever ratio you think is best.

 

Normally when I feed my ants, I give them some protein, and something sweet, and they choose how much of each they want, so because of this, I'm wondering if mixing them together might not be a very good idea. What are your thoughts about this?

[Crystals]

I would say separate.

Colonies with little brood would go for the sugars, while colonies with lots of brood will make the protein a priority.

 

This would allow them to choose.  Also if the species, or individuals, didn't like that particular protein or the sugar, there would still be something else that they might eat.

 

For example, I have tried mixing whey protein powder, maple syrup, and hummingbird nectar and none of my colonies will touch it.  Yet they will eat pure hummingbird nectar.

 

Liquid foods might be a bit messy unless you put down some tin foil or a feeding plate beforehand.

 

It would be interesting and handy to feed straight liquid foods.  Far less maintenance as well.

[dspdrew]

You know it's funny, I always hear that brood need protein, and workers mostly need sugars. While that is probably generally true, I have to say, ever since I started giving my Dorymyrmex humming bird nectar in one of those liquid feeders, all the larvae have turned red. They're feeding the larvae the humming bird nectar like crazy, and that stuff has pretty much no protein at all.

[Crystals]

I have seen that as well. 

Maybe the larvae need some sugar as well?

[Myrmecologeek]

Mine is separate as well. My method of feeding like you have mentioned is by syringe. I simply stick the needle in and create a droplet small enough for them not to drown. My protein mix is mostly natural. Blended crawlers of whatever kind. Recently, though, I've added in Gatorade in the menu. 

[dspdrew]

What exactly do you mean by crawlers?

[Myrmecologeek]

What exactly do you mean by crawlers?

Oh sorry, I mean insects.

[napaeozapus]

For large numbers of colonies, researchers in lab settings have been using various iterations of the Bhatkar diet. It's a pain in the tail to make, but a lot of colonies of a fairly wide range of species have been raised on it. Link to a pdf of the original journal description.

[James C. Trager]

Something they discovered at the USDA pest ants lab in Florida about Bhatkar diet is interesting. The original recipe included some sort of fly pupae blended in, but the adjacent lab where the flies were reared stopped raising them, so the recipe was changed. Without the fresh insect tissue blended in, the ants stopped developing the normal dark color and hardening of the exoskeleton, even with the vitamins and full amino acid content that remained in the recipe. So, you still need some fresh insect meat for your ants.

Edited by James C. Trager, June 24 2015 - 4:02 AM.